Advocate With Us
Advocacy In Action
Tackling New Challenges Together
The Milwaukee River Basin has evolved from a vital transportation route and industrial artery to a symbol of environmental stewardship and community pride. Its history reflects the broader narrative of urban development, environmental challenges, and collective efforts to protect this fresh waterway. Today, we advocate for responsible and sustainable water use, recognizing the crucial role this watershed plays in recreation, public health and quality of life.
Fighting for the Milwaukee River Basin
Our rivers form the lifeblood of our neighborhoods. They come together in downtown Milwaukee and discharge to Lake Michigan, which is the drinking water source for millions of people. Being surrounded by freshwater makes it easy to forget that this amazing resource isn’t endless, and it is impacted by our choices. The decisions we make now, will affect the lives of future generations.
We work with a wide range of community members, businesses, decision makers, and partner organizations to develop tailored advocacy efforts that push for long-term, sustainable change.
We are adaptable, constantly finding innovative ways to tackle new challenges, build coalitions, and shift direction based on community input.
As a community-driven organization, we prioritize the needs and concerns of the entire Milwaukee River Basin area, which:
Is made up of 3 watersheds including the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic River watersheds
Covers 882.3 square miles throughout Southeastern Wisconsin
Contains over 875 miles of river that flow into Lake Michigan
Effects over 1.3 million people who rely on our waters for recreation, transportation, economic services, and drinking water.
Let’s Dive in a Little Deeper
Issues Affecting the Milwaukee River Basin
It’s no easy task ensuring our waterways have the right protections and programs in place and it takes all of us working together to make it happen. Just like our rivers, the needs of our communities ebb and flow. To meet these needs, we’ve led, supported, scaled, and built many initiatives in response to community demand, including:
Pollution & Public Health
Infrastructure & Climate Resiliency
Safe & Equitable Access
Healthy Habitats & Ecosystems
Great Lakes Preservation
Building & Connecting with Key Coalitions
We work to develop, collaborate, and amplify the work of local coalitions fighting to protect and restore our watersheds. From coming together to prevent water diversion from Lake Michigan to creating greenways to limit further destruction to banding together to support the Clean Water Act, there’s nothing we can’t do together. Our current coalition work includes:
- Plastic Free MKE
- Waterway Restoration Partnership
- One Water Our Water
- The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition
Sign On Letters & Statements
Our support for local coalitions and advocacy run as deep as the rivers and lakes we protect. We strategically sign on to letters with coalition partners to demonstrate unity to key issues to show collective strength and to push for change.
Let’s Work Together
Let’s find some common ground at our rivers’ edge! By advocating for the strongest possible protections for our waterways, we push for equal access to clean, safe water for drinking and recreating.
